NPR Story

2:29 pm

Fri March 7, 2014

Basketball Roundup: Lakers Low Point And LeBron's Short Sleeves

The Los Angles Lakers have won 16 NBA championships, but this season they probably won’t even make the playoffs. Last night they hit a real low point, losing to their neighborhood rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, 142 to 94.

The 48-point loss was the worst in Lakers history. The Lakers weren’t the only ones who had a bad night. LeBron James of the Miami Heat made only six shots in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs, just a few days after he had poured in 61 points.

So what was the problem? Was he hurt? Was he tired? No, he said, it might be the new short-sleeved jerseys NBA teams are wearing during some of their games this year.

“I’m not making any excuses, but I’m not a big fan of the jerseys,” James said. “So I have to figure something out next time I have to wear the short-sleeve jerseys.”

James said the jerseys are just a little too tight, tighter of course than the normal sleeveless jersey, and that affects his shooting.

One other note from basketball last night, there was a scary incident in the game between UC Santa Barbara and Hawaii. A fan came out of the stands and confronted Hawaii coach Gib Arnold during the game.

The fan was arrested, but this was the third time in a month that a fan has come into contact with a player or coach on the floor.

And now, a little basketball roundup, because weird things are happening. The Los Angeles Lakers have won 16 NBA championships. But this season, they probably won't even make the playoffs. And last night, the worse loss in Lakers' history: a 48-point lost, 142-94, to that other team in town, the Los Angeles Clippers.

YOUNG: The Clippers - the Lakers, rather, weren't the only ones who had a bad night. The Miami Heat's LeBron James was ice cold. He only made six shots in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs, after pouring in 61 points a few days ago. The reason: Well, with echoes of the Olympic speedskaters, he said it might be the uniform - new, short-sleeved, not-that-attractive-shirts that the NBA teams are wearing in some of the games.

LEBRON JAMES: I'm not making any excuses. I'm not a big fan of the jerseys. I'm not a big fan of them. So, you know, I got to figure something out next time I got to wear the short-sleeve jerseys.

YOUNG: He said they're too tight - tighter, of course, than the normal sleeveless jerseys, and that affected his shooting.

One other note from basketball: Last night, in the game between UC Santa Barbara and Hawaii, a fan came out of the stands and confronted Hawaii Coach Gib Arnold. The fan was arrested, but this was the third time in a month that a fan has come in contact with a coach on the floor. And it's not even March Madness yet. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.